Media Listing May 2012

Yemen - IOM in Haradh on the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border yesterday took delivery of a consignment of essential medicines and medical supplies donated by the Italian government aid agency – Cooperazione Italiana.

Insecurity has returned to the Capital Sana'a and other main cities as armed men blocked main roads and entrances linking between the capital and other cities. Media sources said that road blockades renewed after the former president Ali Abdulah Saleh held a meeting with tribal leaders last week.

SANA'A, 22 May 2012 (IRIN) - A devastating suicide bomb in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, may have grabbed international media headlines and highlighted known security problems, but ordinary people are quietly fighting more mundane battles to make ends meet.

The death of more than 90 Yemeni soldiers in an apparent al-Qaida suicide bombing casts fresh attention on a nation teetering on the edge of collapse. It emphasises the weakness of the central government, and will only add to the average Yemeni's catalogue of fears.

…But beneath this layer of grime is a tale of outside interference in Yemen that is likely to bring further conflict and exacerbate the divisions within the country. Shortly after the Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, was toppled last November in the Arab spring, Jemajem was approached by an intermediary working on behalf of what the man described as a "friendly country" known for its international support for revolutionary causes.

If there is one constant in a crisis-strewn world, it is that the humanitarian situation in Yemen just gets worse. This time last year, Yemen's dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh was beating a long rearguard retreat against his eventual ouster. Oxfam had just issued a report saying that one third of Yemenis suffered from hunger and chronic malnutrition.

Saudi Arabia will be giving additional financial support to Yemen amounting to $ 3.25 billion as part of its contribution to development projects that will be agreed upon by the Yemeni side in line with the transition plan submitted by the Yemeni government at the Friends of Yemen conference in Riyadh.

More than 10 million people -- almost one in two men, women and children -- in Yemen -- are facing a looming catastrophe. Families are surviving, but only just. Food and fuel price spikes, coupled with political instability, have left Yemen's economy in tatters.

(Reuters) - Unfastening his grubby sling, Ali Yusef let out a gasp as his mangled forearm dropped limply to his side. Jumping out of a speeding pick-up truck to evade kidnappers last week, the young Ethiopian was lucky to get away with only a broken arm.

On a political path strewn with obstacles and dangers, Somalia stands at a new crossroads. The term of the current Transitional Federal Institutions ends in three months and everybody is wondering what will come next.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said at least 9,200 Somalis have been displaced in the past three days by the ongoing military activity between insurgents and allied forces in Afgooye, about 30 kilometres northwest of Mogadishu.

For new arrivals to the world’s largest refugee complex, in eastern Kenya, life is particularly difficult. In October 2011, when thousands of people were fleeing famine and conflict in Somalia, Kenyan authorities halted the registration of refugees arriving in Dadaab, citing deteriorating security conditions. Some 4,500 Somalis have since come to the complex.

The body of a woman who died in Saudi Arabia last December, weeks after she jetted into the gulf state, has been brought back home. Esha Abdulrahman Swabu’s remains were interred on Sunday in Mombasa. The cause of her death has been surrounded with controversy.

President Kibaki on Wednesday declared Operation Linda Nchi in Somalia a success despite the persistent threats posed by Al-Shabaab and other militant groups. He said that security had been intensified along the borders and inside the country. However, he urged Kenyans to be vigilant following the spate of grenade attacks in Nairobi and Mombasa.

For new arrivals to the world’s largest refugee complex, in eastern Kenya, life is particularly difficult. In October 2011, when thousands of people were fleeing famine and conflict in Somalia, Kenyan authorities halted the registration of refugees arriving in Dadaab, citing deteriorating security conditions. Some 4,500 Somalis have since come to the complex.

Kenyan police arbitrarily arrested, detained, and beat refugees following the discovery of explosives and an attack on a police vehicle in the Dadaab refugee camps in mid-May 2012. Senior officials visiting the camps on May 23 should ensure a full and speedy investigation leading to the identification and disciplinary measures against any officer responsible for abuse and the compensation of victims.

Recent attacks against African asylum seekers in Tel Aviv are raising important questions for the state of Israel. Advocates say the migrants are victims of racism, discrimination and decades of poor policy.

Interior Minister Eli Yishai on Wednesday said that all African migrants and asylum seekers should be jailed, put in detention centers or given repatriation grants, claiming that most of them are engaged in criminal activity. Speaking a day after four Sudanese and Eritrean nationals were arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in Tel Aviv, the interior minister said, "We cannot forfeit security for Israeli citizens," speaking in an interview with Army Radio.

It’s always been something that happens elsewhere, like North Africa, the Middle East or Asia. But we’ve always had our own unique problems, which has driven the need for legislation like the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill which has languished in Parliament for the last five years. But last week something happened that might speed things up a little. By MANDY DE WAAL.

JOHANNESBURG, 22 May 2012 (IRIN) - Georgette* is jumpy and on the verge of tears even before she starts recounting her long and harrowing story of loss and violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), her desperate flight to South Africa, and the struggles and setbacks she has endured since arriving in Johannesburg a year ago.

Demographers were stunned last month when new data revealed a trend reversal: immigrants are no longer flocking to the U.S., and some have made a U-turn and returned home. Data from the Internal Revenue Service show that 1,800 people, mostly living abroad, either renounced their U.S. citizenship or handed in their green cards—more than the total number of people who did so in 2007, 2008, and 2009 combined. A few made the choice to avoid paying U.S. taxes on income earned abroad, but others are seeking greener pastures in the global economy.

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